Food Allergies

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24 November 2008

Over the past few years the incidence and prevalence of food allergies has risen. Parents are becoming more aware of allergies, and are having to make tough choices as to which foods to feed their children. There is an abundance of information available from various places, books, magazines, newspapers and the internet. Although the information is freely available, it is very diverse and caution needs to be taken because there is a lot of misinformation or correct information which may be used in the wrong context. Health professionals, such as pediatricians, some general practitioners, dieticians, are the best source of reliable information on food allergies and the prevention and treatment of food allergies.

What is a food allergy?
	It is an immune response to a harmless food or substance in a food which causes an allergic reaction
	In other words your body sees the food as an intruder to the body and reacts to it

How do we get allergies?
	It can be inherited from a parent (genetic)
	Exposure to a food early in life - for example feeding a baby cow’s milk or chicken eggs at an early age
	What the mother eats, or drugs she takes during pregnancy or while she is breastfeeding
	Your home environment - High exposure to dust mites, dogs, pollen, moulds, cigarette smoke

What foods can children have an allergic response to?
The following is a list of some of the foods which can cause an allergic response:
	Cows milk
	Soya
	Nuts
	Chicken Egg
	Fish
	Wheat
	Maize

It is important to note that there can be an allergic reaction to more than one of the above foods. It is also important to know that processed foods which contain food mentioned in the above list do have the potential to cause an allergic reaction.

What happens when your child eats a food to which he or she is allergic?
	There are different reactions to foods, and the severity of the reaction may vary with:
	- The amount of the substance
	- The route of the substance
	- Some people can have a reaction just by touching them!

Parts of the body which are commonly affected are:
	Face	- pale face with dark rings around the eyes
	Skin	- rash or swelling
	Chest (lungs)	- asthma (tight and wheezy chest) hay fever (sneezing and / or runny nose)
	Mouth	- itching or swelling of the lips, cheeks, tongue and throat, mouth ulcers
	Stomach	- cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and wind
	Brain	- headaches, hyperactivity, and seizures

	Feeling tired, irritated, sleepy and drowsy can also be symptoms
	Anaphylactic shock can occur, which can be fatal
	Your child’s body can react more severely if he is sick or stressed


	The most effective treatment is complete avoidance of the problem food to prevent the symptoms from occurring
	The products of that food also need to be avoided
	Before eating out anywhere you should make a detailed enquiry about the food served
	Children should take their own food to parties

How do you know what products to avoid?
	The easiest way to avoid the food, and products made from that food, is to read the label on the food packaging

Neil Stephen (RD)

Broccoli is the king of healthy vegetables. It provides an excellent source of betacarotene and vitamin C and the darker the florets the higher amount of antioxidents.

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